Thursday night agility

Spot and Shelby both had agility class on Thursday night. They were both super happy to be there.

In Spot's class we worked on sequences. I still don't have good timing with him. He is so fast and headstrong that he likes to drive ahead and do what he thinks is right. We did a sequence a couple different ways, using serpentines. My instructor thinks maybe Spot is nearsighted, because sometimes he just runs by obstacles-in particular jumps and weaves. She even hard a hard time at one point getting him to take a jump. I knew it wasn't all my fault!

Shelby's class was really fun. We didn't run a course. Instead we worked on determining if our dogs truly understand obstacle discrimination cues Come and Out. At first we tried to send our dogs over a jump to the far end of a tunnel, which the dog could not see. Only one dog out of 4 got it. Shelby got the near tunnel entrance. I used my Flip command to actually tell her to take that one, and she did, so she does know that.

Then we set up the dog in the center of the tunnel and used just a verbal command to send them Out to the far entrance. Shelby was really confused! She didn't quite know what to do with herself. It was kind of funny. She just looked up at me, like what are you doing? So I had to give a tiny hand motion and she got it no problem. Same thing with Come.

Then we worked on sending to the weaves. We sent the dog over a jump to the weaves about 12 feet away. Then we added layering, so that there was a jump between us and the weaves. Shelby was a champ at that-no issues at all on either side. That really taught me that I need to not babysit her weaves. She knows how to do them and I should stay out of her way!

Dogged Pursuit

I just finished reading Dogged Pursuit: My Year of Competing Dusty, the World's Least Likely Agility Dog.

It was entertaining, but nothing that special. I think it captured pretty much what every competitor goes through at the beginning. I could definitely relate to having a dog who is great in training but not so great in competition.

One thing that did ring true was his relationship with the other competitors. I definitely still feel like an outsider at trials, even though I have agility friends and have been trialling for a couple of years. Each time I go, I think "Are these people really enjoying this?" I love the challenge of competing, but I can't stand the hours and hours of waiting around between runs. Also, getting up at 5:30 am to drive 90 minutes to the trial site, get set up and be ready to go at 7:30 am is barbaric to me. Wouldn't everyone have more fun if the trial started at 10am and runs were more limited? If I enjoyed it more, I would go to more trials. As it is, I can only handle one day every 2-3 months.

Spot Making Progess in Agility

Spot's been back at agility class for 2 weeks. It's been going well.
Last Thursday we worked on a 10-obstacle sequence and he actually could do the whole thing! I don't know when that happened! And I can tell he knows what crosses mean, which I didn't think he totally got yet.

At the beginning of class we worked on weaves. We're still at 2 poles, but I had them strait and he did well. He totally understood that he needed to go between the poles for reward. We had a little trouble with the off side entry. He did fine at first but as we kept on, he stopped doing it correctly. So I got him to do one more correct one and then stopped.

Then we worked on our sequence. It was 3 jumps to a tunnel, then the dog walk, then the tunnel which was under the A frame, then the A frame, then 2 jumps, tunnel, and 3 jumps. For the opening, I started with Spot on my left and tried to run the tunnel on the left, but Spot ran into me on the way to the dog walk, so it wasn't great. So we practiced it with a front cross before and after the tunnel. I couldn't quite get the timing right. Spot did a good job with the obstacle discrimination, taking the tunnel no problem. Then we did the A frame, an handled the 2 jumps and tunnel like a serpenine. The end section was a little tough, because coming out of the tunnel, the next two jumps were parallel to the tunnel exit. I tried a post turn and then a rear cross, but Spot didn't understand. It could also be a serpentine, but still not exactly easy.

Overall, Spot did well and I'm happy with his progress.

Positive Small Dog Interactions

I've had a little bit of a challenge working on Shelby's sometimes agression towards small dogs. I always walk her on leash now at Willards Woods, because I want to be able to control any situation. Shelby doesn't seem to mind it, except sometimes when Spot runs off into the bushes.

Last time we went to WW, there were a lot of dogs there. There was a woman who came up behind us with a jack russell mix who was off leash. I told her right away that Shelby can be agressive, but she said her dog was very mellow and never had a problem with anyone, so I let Shelby say hello. I tried not to be stressed! The jack mix was friendly, but calm and confident. He and Shelby met and it was fine, and then he came back and they sniffed again, and it was totally fine.

Then we came across a rat terrier and another little dog, I think it maybe a schauzer mix. I was a little worried because the rat terrier was a little high strung and I thought Shelby would jump on it. But it went fine. Shelby greeted both dogs calmly, and then both groups parted ways. I was so proud of her.

However, it wasn't totally positive, because just after that we met a shitzu puppy, and they greeted, but the puppy was a little bit in Shelby's face, and she growled after a minute, so I pulled her away.

But overall, it was a step forward and I have hope that we can resolve her issues.

Some Hunting Video

Here is the video I took at Willard's Woods last weekend. You can see that Shelby is really into it. She's sniffing and digging and really working. It's obvious she has the natural talent and inclination for earthdog, but hasn't yet gotten "turned on" in the artificial environment that earthdog provides. I love how in the video you can see Spot inside the hollow log.

A-huntin' at Willard's Woods

We took advantage of the beautiful day (along with 100 other people) to take a walk to Willard's Woods on Saturday.

It was pretty busy-the parking lot was full. We ran into a lot of dogs and people. A few times I had to hang back and wait to let people get ahead of us, because their dogs were rambunctious and Shelby was on leash and I didn't want to frustrate her by not letting her run around with them. But I have to say, said people seemed oblivious to the fact that I was trying to avoid them! It's always the way.

Midway through the walk Spot and Shelby zeroed in on a fallen log and were doing some heavy sniffing and digging. At one point Spot went inside the fallen log and it was super cute. I took some video with my cell phone, to be posted later.

People were coming by and watching them work. Shelby was really into it. It was funny how people were transfixed by it.

One woman stopped and commented that she didn't think terriers could ever be off leash. I dont buy into those breed generalizations. You'll hear that sighthounds should never be off leash, beagles should never be off leash, etc. I think it depends on the dog. Every dog can be trained that coming back to you is the best thing in the world. Does that mean they will never take off? No. Have I ever thought I lost Spot in the woods? Yes. But it's 1 out of 100 times. And the joy they get out of running free is worth it if you're in a safe location.

Cara gets comfy

I am watching Cara for 2 weeks. She has made herself right at home already. Yesterday I saw this in the den. She had pulled the pillows off the couch and was using a crate pad used by Spot and Shelby for her butt!

I love this commercial

These dogs hunt underground | Duluth News Tribune | Duluth, Minnesota

These dogs hunt underground | Duluth News Tribune | Duluth, Minnesota

Posted using ShareThis

Thursday agility class with Shelby

Lat night I took Shelby to agility class. We hadn't been in 3 weeks. I thought for sure class would have moved inside, considering sunset is at 7pm and class starts at 7:30, but I was wrong. We are out there using our car headlights for illumination. That's dedication! The nice thing about outside is that the space is bigger, so we can run full courses, where inside is smaller.

They were still working on the FCI tryouts jumpers course. Apparently they worked on the middle section for the past 2 weeks and the end last week. This time we worked the end section again, using rear cross rather than front cross. It was a series of jumps handled on the right in a loop, to a rear cross, then a choice of either serpentine or front cross. We worked the serpentine first.

The instructor had us work the section without dogs first. She played the role of the dog, and we were the handler. It was weird at first. But it really helped get the timing down. I went third, but did it perfectly the first time, so she had the other students be my dog and I ran it with them. It was kind of fun.

When it was Shelby's turn, I sent her out to a jump, but then I didn't bring my hand in enough for the next two jumps so she went off course to the dog walk. Then when we worked the rear cross, I didn't run the right line the first time, but the second time we got it. Shelby was running really fast and having a great time. She was very eager to work. I think practicing less is actually better for her.

Then we ran it with a front cross after the rear, rather than a serpentine. Shelby was a little too fast for me the first time, but the second time I was able to get there and execute correctly.

At the end, we ran the whole course, which was a disadvantage for me, since I ran the beginning 3 weeks ago, but not the middle at all, which is the toughest part. There are 12 weaves to a couple off jumps that are tricky. Shelby did ok. We had to restart the weaves a couple times. The first time she popped out at like #5, then she restarted but missed the first pole.

Then she went off course and was sniffing, but I started running and she came back and we finished the course. Overall, it was a fun class.

NETC Fall Fun Day-Earthdog and Lurecoursing!!!

I just got the flyer for the New England Terrier Club fun day on October 24th.
They will have all levels, including Master, plus a meet the rats session for new dogs.

I am very excited about lure coursing. Shelby loves lure coursing, so I will definitely sign her up.


The
New England Terrier Club Invites you to an exciting day of Earthdog Training for ALL TERRIER BREEDS

Saturday, October 24th, 2009

At Glencoe Farm, 122 Hawkins St., Plainville, MA.

Please join us for a fun day of Earthdog training for dogs of any breed that have a propensity for ratting. The secretary’s table will open at 9AM and Master will be begin at 9:30 (draw), followed by the start of the Intro to Quarry. Our fabulous potluck luncheon will be at noon, please bring your favorite dish to share. At 1 PM we will resume with a ‘meet the rats’ session for your beginner dogs, and Senior, Junior and IQ will continue. We are pleased that we will be able to offer Lure Coursing for any terrier breeds.

Don’t forget that GBAEC is hosting an AKC sanctioned ED test October 25th in North Andover, MA. This is a great opportunity for last minute training.

Pre-Entries and Day Of entries for your convenience.
Pre-Entry $5.00 per dog/run. Day of entry $10.00 for the 1st dog/run and $5.00 for each additional dog/run.
Lure Coursing $5.00 per dog.

For more information please contact the secretary, Jan M. Silva at 508.994.3588 or NativefoxSFT @ Comcast.net (remove the spaces for the email to work), or Mary B. Smith at 508.695.3685 or mary.smith @ umb.edu


DIRECTIONS TO THE TRAINING SITE

FROM I495: Take Exit 15, Route 1A South. Take second right after lights for Wrentham Outlets onto Green St. Take first left onto High St. Go to end of High St. (about 3 miles). Take left onto Hawkins St. Go ¾ mi and #122 is on the left.

FROM I295: Take exit 11 for Rte. 114, Diamond Hill Rd. Head North on 114 to lights at intersection with Route 120. Take right onto Route 120. Take a left onto N. Attleboro Rd. Go ¾ mile and #122 is on the right just after the intersection with Fales Rd.

FROM PROVIDENCE AREA: I95 North to I295 South to exit 1B for Route 1 North. Proceed North to lights at the intersection with Route 1A and Route 120, (CVS Pharmacy will be in front of you). Take a left onto Route 120. Take third right onto Ellis Road. Ellis will change its name to High St and then Fales Rd – stay straight about 3 miles until the first 4-way intersection, (e.g. cross st.). Take a right onto Hawkins and #122 is immediately on your right.

PRE-ENTRY INFORMATION
For your convenience email/snail mail entries will be accepted up until the closing date of 10/20/09 with the understanding that if you send an entry you will be responsible for paying for that entry whether or not you attend on the day of the event. Please include the following information, Your name and address and phone number, your dogs’ name, age, sex, and breed. The name of the person who will most likely be handling your dog. Be sure to indicate what levels you are signing up for: ‘Meet the Rats’, (includes intro to tunnels), Intro to Quarry, Junior, Senior, Master, or Lure Coursing. You may enter as many times at as many levels as you like. Please note that the larger terrier breeds, unless they are young pups, will only be able to enter ‘meet the rats’ and Lure Coursing.
Send or email pre-entries to Jan Silva at nativefoxsft @ Comcast.net or 18 Stackhouse St., New Bedford, MA 02740. If sending by snail mail please include your payment.

Spot is injured

I don't know how he did it, but Spot has injured his toe on Thurs.

He came in from being in the yard and he was limping. At first I couldn't figure out if it was his leg, his foot, or what. Turns out it was the outer toe on his left front foot, which would be like the human pinky toe. The toenail was bent to the left. He didn't want me to touch it at all.

It's been getting better each day. He can walk on it but still limps. I didn't take him to the vet, because if it is sprained or even broken, they won't really do anything for it. I'm trying to keep him quiet and not let him jump on anything.

Not sure if we'll be able to enter the Bo Gee trial in a few weeks. We'll have to wait and see.

Bath Time!

Today Spot and Shelby both got a bath. This time I washed them in the kitchen sink. It has pros and cons. In the bathtub, the showerhead isn't quite as long and the dogs have more room to move around. Also I have to kneel on the floor, which can get awkward. In the sink, I can stand, so it's easier. The faucet is easier to use, but the dogs are tall, so it can be hard not to get water everywhere.

But we did ok. Both dogs were great. They were calm while getting bathed. Spot really enjoyed getting a massage. He's been itching because of allergies, so I thought the bath might help. Seems like he's itching less.

Shelby actually did better than usual. She generally will cooperate for about 5 minutes, but that's it. Today she was pretty calm and let me wash and dry her.

I decided to give both of them a bath because they will be staying with Holly next weekend while I stay in Boston for work. I figured it would be nicer if they were clean. If I feel like they're still not clean, I might take them to the groomer. We'll see.

Earthdog practice

On Sunday I took Spot and Shelby to Boxboro for earthdog training. I needed to work with Spot on not backing up in the tunnel when I open the cover, and I needed to work with Shelby on entering the tunnel and staying in.

I worked with Shelby first. She definitely was interested in the rats and she understood that they were in the tunnel. I released her and she went right in. We had the L shaped tunnel. She went in and saw the rats but then came out. So I stood in the end of the tunnel so she would stay in there. She turned around and I had Michelle open the cover a little bit so Shelby could see, and also move the cage around. That did it. Shelby started trying to get the cage with her paw and made some noise. So then I took her out and let her enter the tunnel again. That time was much better-she went directly to the rats and worked right away. I was very happy.

Then it was Spot's turn. We used the JR tunnel, since all we wanted to focus on was the very end. The first time, Spot didn't like me putting my hands in the tunnel. He got used to it though. The second time I ended up putting my hand under his butt, and he jumped out. That would be ideal if he would jump out on his own. The third time, as soon as I put my hand in, he jumped out. So I am definitely going to encourage that at our next session.

Agility Class

I took Spot and Shelby back to class on Thursday.

Spot's class was just Spot and one other dog named Sidney. We worked on serpentines for most of the time. Spot did well. But I had a hard time cueing fast enough. I felt so bad-his allergies were acting up. He kept rubbing himself on the grass and his eye was all red and swollen.

Shelby's class was next. She was very excited to be there. We hadn't been to class in a couple of months. We worked on a jumpers course that I think was from the world team tryouts. It was a pretty challenging course, with a lot of turns. I ran it mostly with rear crosses-although Shelby isn't always as fast when I use those because she likes me to be in front. But Shelby did well-she ran fast and had fun. And I had fun being back in class too.

Gemini CPE trial Saturday August 22nd

I entered Spot in Gemini's CPE trial last Saturday. We were entered in Standard, Wildcard and Snooker.

The weather was very hot and humid. I had gone over on Friday night to set up my tent and we weren't entered in the first class of the day, so I figured I didn't need to get there super early. Of course I was there before they started! So we got to settle in and relax for about 2 hours before we had to do anything.

The first run was Standard. It was a nice easy course, with three jumps to the tunnel, then the dog walk, then 4 jumps, the tunnel, the A frame and a final jump. I had planned a front cross before the dog walk. Spot took off like a shot as expected. In hindsight, I should have tried leading out. He went past jump 2, but I called him back, he made it to the tunnel, but came out so fast I didn't have time to do a front cross, or a front cross after the dog walk, so I did a flip, which is so bad, I know, but it worked. The rest of the course was fine. He was ahead of me on the A frame, but hit his contact and we finished well. This was his second Q, so now he has his CL1-S!

Next was Wildcard, which is where you choose either an A or B obstacle at three places. We had to do 2 As and 1 B. The choices were A tunnel/B A Frame, then A near tunnel entrance/B far tunnel entrance, then A single jump/B double jump. My plan was to do A tunnel, then A tunnel, then B double. I set Spot up and as soon as I took off the leash he was up. Thankfully it was to the side-so I was able to call him and start. He did the first section well, but then wandered a bit. We got all our required obstacles, but were 10 seconds over time, so no Q.

Last was Snooker. The course was challenging, for sure. The A frame was 7, but the reds were spread out, so no easy way to use it. 6 was a combo of the tunnel and a jump, where the jump was also a red, which I haven't seen before. The start line had a red jump, then a tunnel and another red jump all perpendicular, so I decided to start with a slice. Spot handled it great. He did the first jump into the tunnel, which was 3, then my plan was to do a front cross over the next red, but Spot went wide. He came back quickly and got the red, then through the tire which was 2, then another red, and my plan was to do a 180 to a jump, which was #5, but Spot ran into the tunnel, which was part of 6. I didn't want to do that, because 6 was a combo and straight shot to the A frame and I knew he would take it and have an off course. So instead of going with the flow and letting him complete 6, which would have been in the rules, I called him back, which was a fault and we were done. Oh well!

It was a pretty laid back day, hanging out with friends. Shelby was there, and I took her out a couple times. She was very good. We did have one torrential rain shower during the trial that flooded out a bunch of areas. It was so deep that several people were having their dogs swim and chase balls.

First it's Brockton, now Whitman-Foxes on the Attack

I'm wondering if the delayed summer weather is having an effect on local foxes or if this is an example of more foxes than usual?

And how the heck can a fox jump high enough to bite you on your butt?

I have never seen a fox in my area. I have seen coyotes and groundhogs and raccoons.

Fox bites two people in Whitman-The Boston Globe



August 10, 2009 12:42 PM
By Jack Nicas, Globe Correspondent

During a string of seven fox sightings over several hours in Whitman yesterday, a fox bit one woman in her buttocks and a man in his foot, police said.

“There’s probably more than one,” said Whitman police Officer Frank O’Rourke. “The way they were traveling last night, this fox had to have his best Nike sneakers on to travel that fast.”

A fox was first seen just before 2 p.m. on Brigham Street, where six toddlers played in a residential backyard. The home’s owner, Tom Shannon, said the fox was lying in the shade of his pop-up camper.

“I’ve seen [the fox] two or three times before,” Shannon said, “but always at night and never this close.”

About 30 minutes later, a fox startled a woman in her Franklin Street backyard. She threw a bag of fertilizer at it, scaring it away.

Down the street, less than an hour later, a woman was waxing her car when she was bit in the buttocks, piercing her skin. She received nine shots yesterday as a precaution, O’Rourke said.

Four more sightings, two on Winter Street, one on Hickey Hollow Lane, and one on Franklin Street, came within the next six hours. In one case, a fox bit a man’s foot, but did not break through his sneaker.

Robert Hammond, the town’s animal control officer, believes there is a fox den in the area, O’Rourke said. Hammond was out setting traps this morning.

Although O’Rourke said the town is home to several foxes, usually weighing between 5 and 10 pounds, he has never heard of an attack during his 35 years of duty.

“But not even on my best days would I trust one,” he said.

GBAEC Earthdog Trial 8/8-8/9-09

Spot was entered in Master on Sat and Sun. Neither day was a Q.

On Saturday we were in the 4th brace with a Norfolk terrier named Rizzi. We had trained with her before. She already has a title. The walk up was fine. They worked well together. The AKC rep was there, plus Monique was apprenticing, so we had a little group for the walk up.

When we got to the den area, both dogs kind of wandered. They were checking out a pile of debris, like tires and things. The judge waited a long time to see what they would do before telling them to go mark. I had to move pretty close to the rats-about 10 feet away-before he marked.

Spot marked first, so he went first. He handled the tunnels fine, and worked well. When it came time to remove the cover, I asked the judge to remove the cover, but she just pulled it off, and Spot backed up. Then he kept coming and going back and forth. Eventually he came out the entrance and I went and picked him up. Rizzi Q'd.

On Sunday we were in the first brace with a Scottie that we hadn't met before. This dog also had her title already. She was super, super slow. We were crawling up the walk up. We had to stop and wait a few times. The judge had us stop quite a ways back from the rats. I would say a good 30 feet. We stopped right near the debris pile and Spot was hunting in there quite a bit. So much that the AKC rep took some pictures. The Scottie went up and marked, and eventually the judge had me call Spot. He went up and looked, then went around the tunnel area, and again I had to walk up to about 10 feet from the tunnel before he marked.

Spot had to honor first. He started eating grass, which is a first. When it was his time he went right in. The judge had placed the roller in the first section, before the false den. I realized that Spot always turns right inside a tunnel. So the first right was the false den, then he backed up and turned right, which meant he had to come over the roller, and back out. He turned around and went back in and went to the false den again, but was able to get himself going in the right direction and get to the rats.

He worked the rats the full 90 seconds. Then it was time to take him out. I could tell he had moved back a bit, so I waited before removing the cover. The 15 second time limit doesn't start until the cover comes off. I thought he was up at the front, so I removed the cover, but he scooted back. He came right out the entrance, so I grabbed him. Turns out his mark would have failed him anyway, even if I had gotten him out.

After that, I was steward for Junior. We had 20 dogs. Only a few qualified. Most just wandered around. A few went in the tunnel, but not all the way, and one went in, worked, but then came out again!

Then I had to stay and help pack up. This is our last test of the season, so we pull all the tunnels and clean them and store them. That took a while, but we had lots of help. One bonus-we are changing our tunnels so they are all a standard size, and we had 4 two-foot sections that we didn't need anymore. I asked if I could take them so I could practice with Shelby and they said sure. Score! I tried to be cool-but this will be awesome. Hopefully I can practice and enter Shelby in the trial in Andover in October.

Spot goes back to class

On Thursday I took Spot to class to see if he remembered anything. If he didn't, I wouldn't enter him in the Gemini Dog CPE trial in a couple weeks. Surprise-he remembered!

We actually ended up having a private lesson because no one else showed up. That day Alice had e-mailed me to tell me she wasn't going to be going to class at Gemini anymore. I don't know if the training philosophy was really working for her.

We warmed up with some jumps and some contacts, then worked on lead outs. We first had a lead out of 2 jumps to the dog walk. We worked it on the left and the right. Spot was really good, letting me lead out all the way to the dog walk. I stood at the dog walk and released him over 2 jumps, and made sure I was in a position where he needed to go around me to straighten up onto the dogwalk. He did great on both sides.

Then we worked 2 jumps to the A frame. I lead out to the second jump. I had to use a cue of no forward motion to indicate that he should turn to the A frame, along with calling his name. I kept messing up by standing still, but then not moving toward to A frame once he had taken the second jump. But we got it after the third time. Overall it was a goof class. I decided to enter Spot in Standard, Wildcard and Fullhouse.

I know what Santa is bringing Spot and Shelby this year!

It's the SnuggieDog, from the creator of the Snuggie!
How did they know exactly what dogs have been waiting for?

BCDC Earthdog trial day 2

Today was the second day of the Bay Colony Dachshund Club earthdog trial. Spot was entered in Master again. I actually got up a little earlier and got there in plenty of time. Spot was in the second brace again. This time he was paired with a smooth fox terrier who already had a title.

Spot was excited to be there. As soon as we took of the leashes, they started up the trail. Spot checked in as usual, several times. The judge had us call the dogs over to check out the false den, and they both did. Then when it came time to mark, Spot saw the rats, but didn't bark. The other dog was marking, so Spot actually came over to stand by me, and I thought Uh Oh, but the judge just said how polite he was! Then I told him to go show me and he stared, then barked, and we were good.

Spot had to honor first, and he barked a bit, but I pet him and he was quiet. I also encouraged him to dig in the dirt near the tie-out. When it was our turn to go, Spot was so wiggly I almost dropped him. He went in like a bullet, and I could see him moving through the tunnel. He came out the false exit and went right back in. He worked the rats the whole 90 seconds. When it was time to take him out, we opened the cover from the back, so I was able to actually get my hand in behind him, and he didn't back up! I grabbed him and praised him and was able to pull him out. I was sooooo happy!

So now the next thing is practice at Gardner next Saturday, then the GBAEC trial August 8-9.

BCDC Earthdog trial day one

This weekend Spot is entered in the Bay Colony Dachshund Club earthdog trial in Master both days.

Check in was at 8:30, and of course I got out of bed a little later than planned, but I managed to get there by 8:15. The judge did her briefing at 8:45. She was a very open judge, meaning she would evaluate each dog and kind of see the situation through the dog's eyes and judge them on intent as well as actions. For example on the mark, if the dog looks in and sees the rats, then goes and tries to get into the tunnel another way, she would see that as marking, as well as if they barked directly at the hole. As I understand it she does hunt, so she wants a dog to display hunting behavior.

We were in the second brace, which was great, because there were 8 braces! Usually it's like 4 or 5. I guess this is the most they've ever had at this trial. It was Spot and Darby, a Border terrier. They both did well on the walk up, going up and coming back. The judge asked me to direct Spot to check out the false den which he did by sticking his head in. When we got to the tunnels, Spot saw the rats, then came back and looked at me, and I told him to show me, and he went over again, but no barking, and was kind of wandering. Darby went over and marked, so then his handler picked him up and I went closer and asked Spot to show me, and he finally barked.

So Darby went first, and Spot was barking a bit while honoring, but I was able to pet him and get him to dig a bit and it was fine. When it came to our turn, Spot was ready. He went right in the tunnel, and then I saw him come out the false exit, but went right back in and got to the rats. He started working right away. He worked the full 90 seconds, which I was worried about, because last time we practiced, he didn't stay and work.

When it came time to take him out, they opened the cover, which was nice and big, by the way, and I almost grabbed him, but he scooted back. I tried getting him to come up, but he went out the false exit. I called him back, but he stayed back from the opening. The judge was very nice and told me to let him take his time coming out. After another time coming out the false exit, I actually went and picked him up. The judge said it was a shame because the rest of the test went very well. We'll see what happens tomorrow. At least I know what to work on, but there's only 2 weeks until the GBAEC trial on August 8-9. Maybe I'll break down and pay for a private session with Carolyn.

From the NY Times-Little Dogs, Big Instincts

I came across this article from the NY Times back in 2002 talking about an earthdog trial in Harwinton, CT. It's not quite 100% accurate on what's required for each level, but still interesting.

Little Dogs, Big Instincts
By SHERRI DALEY
Published: Sunday, November 17, 2002

ON a muddy field in Harwinton, several dozen people stood around with their dogs tucked under their arms. Others had dogs on leashes, or dogs in cages, or dogs that peered politely out of the windows of parked cars. Just a lot of people hanging around with their dogs doing nothing -- or so it seemed.

That is because all the action was set to take place underground where yapping little dogs would soon disappear into dirt tunnels and skitter around in search of rats in cages.

The dogs and their owners had come together for the annual Connecticut Earthdog trials last month on the grounds of the Scottish Terrier Club of New England in Harwinton.

The event, not exactly a spectator sport, is sanctioned by the American Kennel Club and is open to selected breeds, primarily small terriers and dachshunds.

There are four levels of Earthdog -- intro to quarry, junior, senior and master -- in which the tunnels get longer and more challenging. (Intro to quarry is not a title event.)

In the title events, the dogs have 30 seconds to enter and find their quarry at the end of a 30-foot tunnel that is 9 inches tall and 9 inches wide. The dogs must work the quarry, that is bark, scratch, growl and otherwise annoy the rats, for another minute.

During the process, a judge sits on top of the tunnel with a clipboard and a stopwatch and simply listens to evaluate the dog's activities.

The handler may give one command on release, then must stand quietly at the release point throughout the test.

''What's appealing is that the dogs need very little, if any, training,'' said Gordon Heldebrant, the American Kennel Club's executive field director for performance events. ''It's not uncommon to bring a dog with no practice or training at all and have him earn a passing score. It's all about instinct.''

One competitor, Arthur, is an 8-year-old West Highland white terrier owned by Kathleen May, who lives in Rocky Hill.

''These dogs were bred to hunt small animals that live underground, like rats and foxes and badgers,'' Ms. May said. ''They were used by farmers and orchard keepers to get rid of nuisance wildlife. They'd burrow underground, find their prey, and then bark until the farmer came.''

When Vanessa Fleming of Middletown sat her Lakeland terrier, Keaton, on the ground, the dog immediately went into a show-dog stance: head lifted, tail straight up.

''See that tail?'' Ms. Fleming said. ''The dogs are bred with thick, sturdy tails. A dog can be snatched out of harm's way by his tail.''

Simulated tunnel tests for fun and sport have been around for a long time. The Germans have been running such events for more than 100 years. The idea caught on in the United States in the 1930's.

The American Working Terrier Association started holding what it called den trials in 1972; the kennel club sanctioned the sport in 1994. Competitions are now held all over the United States.

As for the event, some people like to give their dogs a chance to practice. They build tunnels out of cardboard boxes or take their dogs to clubs that have permanent tunnels snaking through their grounds.

For competitions and practices, some clubs borrow rats from local pet shops, returning them unharmed (although perhaps a little excited). Some people raise their own rats, which become family pets as well as weekend quarry.

''Only once we had an animal control officer attend a test,'' Mr. Heldebrant said. ''He watched the event and the way we handled the animals, and he left the site without any problems.''

Digging the tunnels for the competition is a formidable job, as John and Joyce McNabney of Harwinton, the hosts of the Earthdog trials this year, know all too well. They are do-it-your-selfers.

''Some people have a backhoe come in and do it,'' Ms. McNabney said, ''but we think it's all part of the experience. If the dogs have to work, we can, too.''

Jo Ann Frier-Murza, a retired wildlife biologist and author of the book ''Earthdogs In and Out,'' said, ''I think once people attend an Earthdog event, they see their dogs differently.''

She also runs classes and practice events for Earthdog enthusiasts on her farm in Crosswicks, N.J.

''After an introduction to Earthdog tests, owners see their dogs as animals with natural instincts, not pets or toys,'' she said. ''Instead of just taking their dog along with them when they go places, they might actually consider what the dog would like to do. Sort of the way a parent would take a child to a soccer game or a birthday party.''

Mr. Heldebrant said that people do not generally think of terriers and dachshunds as hunting dogs.

''People wouldn't think of leaving a Golden Retriever closed up in a room or tied up in a small yard all day, but they do that to a terrier and then can't figure out why the dog was yapping all day or digging up the carpeting,'' he said. ''Terriers were bred to be active and dig and bark; they need the same stimulus as the larger dogs.''

Mr. Heldebrant added, ''They were bred to work alone.''

That is unlike sporting dogs, who work alongside their masters and are commanded to retrieve.

Since some owners spend hours training their dogs not to bark and not to chase after small animals, sometimes the dachshunds and terriers are reluctant to follow their instincts.

''At his first Earthdog test, Arthur just sat and stared at the rats,'' Ms. May said.

In the intro to quarry class, the tunnel is only 10 feet long. Judges can direct the dog to the den's entrance (which is scented with rat urine) and get the dog's interested in the rats by shaking or tapping on the cage.

The dog must reach the quarry within two minutes and then work the quarry for 90 seconds in order to qualify for the higher categories.

The Master Earthdog test works two dogs at a time. There are two entrances to the den; one is blocked and the dogs must find the rear entrance. The dogs must find and work the quarry one at a time. The nonworking dog is staked a few feet away and must watch with interest but not cause a distraction. Both dogs must work the quarry and act as ''honoring dog'' in order to qualify for a Master Earthdog title. There are no cash prizes.

Alice Carter from Stamford is hoping her dachshunds, Julia, Rory and Schatzi, will earn titles some day. ''They already have obedience and agility titles,'' she said.

If they earn Earthdog titles, they can compete in the Dachshund Club of America's triathlon in May in Syracuse.

Carol Perkins of Manchester, a judge at the introductory level, said: ''It's the one performance event where the dogs don't get ranked or compete against one another. There has been talk about creating some sort of ranking so that dogs who get to the master's level have something to shoot for.''

But Ms. Perkins hopes that never happens. ''I like the atmosphere the way it is,'' she said.

Police dog attacks another dog

This is probably horrible to say, but it makes me feel a little bit better about Shelby and her issues when I see that a highly-trained police dog would go after a smaller dog on the street.

Police dog attacks woman in Mattapan
July 22, 2009 03:35 PM Email| Comments (46)| Text size – +
(David L. Ryan/Globe Staff)

By Matt Collette, Globe Correspondent, and Andrew Ryan, Globe Staff

An off-duty Boston police dog bolted from its handler today in Mattapan and attacked a 60-year-old woman who was walking by with a small, Chihuahua-like dog on a leash.


The police dog apparently went after the Chihuahua and bit the woman in the face, stomach, and leg when she tried to protect her small pet, according to police and one witness. An ambulance took the woman to Boston Medical Center, where she received stitches in her lower left leg and was treated for "superficial wounds" to her belly and cheek, according to police Superintendent William Evans.

"This is just a case of a dog going after another dog and unfortunately another woman got involved," Evans said at a press conference outside the hospital. He added, "Obviously the dog was loose and that's something we'll have to look into."

Police Commissioner Edward F. Davis visited the woman in the hospital and "was very apologetic and he took full responsibly for what happened," Evans said.

Police described the dog's handler as a veteran of the department's canine unit, but they would not release his name. Dogs live with canine officers in kennels in their homes. This officer lives in Mattapan on Sturbridge Street where the attack occurred, in a home with a fenced-in yard.

Police responded to the home at 10:35 a.m. for a report of a person being bitten by a dog, according to Officer James Kenneally, a police spokesman.

A neighbor who witnessed the attack told the Globe that the police dog was off the leash and attacked the woman, who was walking a Chihuahua-type dog. The neighbor did not want her name published because police were involved.

The woman was walking her small dog by the police officer's home, the neighbor said. At that moment, the officer opened the door to his police cruiser and the German shepherd-type dog bounded out off the leash.

"The dog spotted the woman's dog and charged right at her," the neighbor said. "So to protect her dog, she leaned down."

The canine officer and his wife were also both taken to the hospital. "Both the officer and his wife were very shaken up by the event," Evans said. "They knew the harm they had caused to the woman."

Charles Donald, 57, went outside of his Sturbridge Street home and said he heard the woman crying for help. Within moments, police and emergency responders arrived.

"It's just so awful, I can't believe it," Donald said. "It's normally been quiet over here."
Gregory Jacquet, 19, lives around the corner on River Street and said he was friendly with the officer.

"The [police] dog seems so harmless," Jacquet said. "I think it's a tragedy, especially for the woman who got bit."

Police have not yet decided whether the animal will be put back in service, said Evans, who was not aware of any previous issues with this particular police dog.

"Our dog involved in this will be treated like any dog would be," Evans said.

The smaller dog was taken to Angell Animal Medical Center in Boston. A spokesman for the hospital said he would need the owner's permission before releasing information about its condition.

This afternoon a uniformed policeman stood guard outside the canine officer's house and said no one was home.

A training opportunity at Williards Woods

On Saturday, after earthdog, I took Spot and Shelby to Williards Woods with Tanya and Hallie.

I kept Shelby on the retractable lead the whole time because I didn't really want to deal with any issues. There were a few dogs there, mostly larger, so no issues.

Until we were leaving. A woman came in with a corgi and little black mix. I was waiting for Spot so I could leash him up, so Shelby and I were standing on the side of the path. The corgi came up and Shelby started growling. So I immediately told her no and asked for a sit, and made her look at me. She sat next to me and let the corgi come close to me. She was staring somewhat though. The corgi didn't seem phased by it. Then the little black dog came over and Shelby didn't growl, so I let them sniff each other and it was fine. And then the corgi came over again and everyone sniffed.

I was glad to have an opportunity to correct Shelby's behavior with smaller dogs.

Earthdog training day-Gardner 7/11/09

Today we had training at the Fish and Game club in Gardner.
It was a medium-size group.
We had 5 master dogs, some junior dogs and several IQ dogs.

I got there around 9:15 and Nancy was starting master. I guess she had gotten there earlier than I realized and the tunnels were scented and the rats were there and everything. For the first brace, I was the rat steward. We had one person new to master. When it was time, I forgot to take the bars off the false exit. Whoops!

Then it was Spot's turn with Rizzi. Spot actually marked without my asking him to, which was great. I encouraged him to mark some more and then let Rizzi mark. I put Spot in the tunnel and he did the usual come back out to turn around, but then made it to the rats. He worked them for about 30 seconds, then I could hear he had backed up, but was still working. Then all of a sudden he leaves the rats! I think he is learning if he stays there, I'm going to open it up and take him out. I want to work on that this weekend. If he keeps doing it, I'm not sure I'll enter him at the trial in 2 weeks.

Shelby did IQ. We started with one tunnel length, because it seems she is wary of the tunnel now. She went in slooowly, but when she got to the rats she worked really well, digging and whining and barking, which was great. We made the tunnel longer, adding just the corner, and she went in and worked. Once she did it a few times I took her out. I brought her back in once all the other dogs had taken a turn, but she wasn't as into it. So I need to work on her tunnels, which is strange because over the winter she had no problem with the tunnel. She would run in, but then just stare at the rats! So I don't think she'll be trialling this year, but we'll see.

Cats on a plane? Tabby flies in style on Pet Airways - Daily Business Update - The Boston Globe

I think I would probably use this...

Can't bear to put Fifi in cargo when you fly? Try booking her a ticket on Pet Airways instead.

The pet-only airline is launching service Tuesday July 14 out of New York, Washington D.C., Chicago, Denver, and Los Angeles, and plans to expand into Boston by early fall.

"We've had a tremendous amount of requests from pet owners in Boston," said director Alyse Tognotti.

The airline, based in Delray Beach, Fla., has partnered with Suburban Air Freight cq to transport cats and dogs in 19-passenger Beech 1900 aircrafts. Up to 50 "pawsengers" will travel in carriers in the main cabin -- the seats and overhead bins have been removed -- and be taken care of by a pet attendant. Inter-species fights will be kept to a minimum by separating the dogs and cats; other household pets such as birds and gerbils will be allowed onboard in the near future.

The airline is starting out with one round-trip flight a week, beginning in New York and stopping in Washington D.C., Chicago, and Denver on the way to LA. One-way ticket prices range from $149 to $299, depending on the pet's size and destination, and demand has been high so far: The first two months of flights are sold out.

Husband-and-wife owners Dan Wiezel and Alysa Binder came up with the idea for Pet Airways when they moved from Silicon Valley to Florida five years ago and had to put their beloved Zoe, a now 17 1/2-year-old Jack Russell terrier, in cargo. The idea of their dog being stuck in the belly of the plane made the former high-tech recruiters anxious, Tognotti said: "She's not baggage."

Pet Airways has pet lounges set up in each of its airport, which include major facilities such as Baltimore-Washington International Airport and regional operations such as Republic Airport cq on Long Island. The airline's staff members all have backgrounds in animal training and handling, Tognotti said, including a round-the-clock veterinary staff.

The airline is aiming to attract people who are moving, traveling, or rescuing animals and plans to serve 25 cities within two years.

The Amazing Treat Machine

Ok, my two would rip apart the cardboard in order to get the treats directly! But I could see that this could be effective for a lower-energy dog.
Or maybe if it were made out of plastic...

Video of some GBAEC activities-Spring 2009

Here is a video showing some of the tunnel preparations, training and pics from the May trial.

You can see Shelby in intro not really getting it and trying to go into the wrong tunnel. :-)

In Fields Corner, dog park plan has bark, and bite - The Boston Globe

In Fields Corner, dog park plan has bark, and bite - The Boston Globe

Posted using ShareThis

I'm impressed that they were able to raise almost $200,000 for this project. I hope they are able to get it off the ground.

Annual Physicals

I took Spot and Shelby to the vet on Friday for their annual exams and heartworm tests, and Shelby needed her rabies shot.

Spot hates the vet. He gets really agitated and barks a lot. Shelby of course is fine with everything. She whined a tiny bit when she got a shot but that was it. Both Spot and Shelby have lost a pound since last year, which is good. Shelby weighs 17.7 and Spot weighs 20.2. When I got Spot he was about 18 pounds and then went way up to 23. Shelby was up to about 20 as well I think. I feed them 1 cup of food per day, and I've cut back on treats, mainly because I can't afford to buy that many any more. So really all they get is the occasional bone and their treats at training, which is usually string cheese and ham cubes.

The kicker was the cost. $362!!!! The exam was $65 each, the heartworm tests $47 each, the lepto shot $24 each and then the rabies was another $45. Thank goodness they are generally healthy.

A wet vacation on the Cape

This week I took some vacation so that I wouldn't lose it.
I rented a cottage in Dennisport with Tanya and Jeremy and their baby Coraline and dog Halle. The cottage was great. It was 2 bedrooms, with an open living room and kitchen. The yard was totally fenced in, which was great. I would have been nice to spend time out there if the weather had been nicer. Thank god the cottage had cable and internet! We did a little shopping, went to Provincetown one day and that was about it. We walked the dogs, but they weren't allowed on the beach, or even in the beach parking lot! Ptown was very dog friendly. I wish we had brought them that day.

Shelby gets excused and Spot gets his first Q

Yesterday we went to the Bo Gee CPE trial in Deerfield, NH. We were only signed up for Saturday. Shelby was entered in Jackpot level 2, Wildcard level 3, Colors level 3, and 2 rounds of Standard level 2. Spot was entered in 2 rounds of Standard level 1.

The day started off a little hectic because Jackpot 1, 2, 3 was in one ring, while Wildcard 3, 4, 5, C was in another ring. I ended up running Wildcard first, then Jackpot about 5 minutes later. Shelby did well in Wildcard. The course was a jump a choice between the dogwalk (b) and the tire and tunnel (a), then the weaves, then a choice of single jump (a) and double jump (b), then a choice of single jump (a) or weaves (b), then a single jump, 180 to a single jump, then the tunnel, 180 to a single jump, and finishing with a single jump. I chose the dogwalk and the double as my 2 required b elements and then the single jump for my a element. Shelby did have trouble with the weaves. She entered, but then started sniffing. I restarted her but she did it again, so I just tried to get her back in where she popped out and she was able to finish. I thought we Qd, but it turns out we were 6 seconds over time, giving us 6 faults, and the limit is 5 faults. So if we had gotten those weaves the first time we would have made it for sure.

Next up was Jackpot. The jackpot challenge was that the handler had to stand in a box and do a pin wheel of 3 jumps and a tunnel. I knew Shelby could do it no problem and I had a good plan. Of course Shelby messed it up. My plan was tunnel, then A frame, then tunnel again, then the jackpot and a few jumps. Shelby went into the tunnel, but didn't come out and wasted all our time. We did get a few points, but I was bummed.

Then it was time for Colors. The course I picked was pretty easy. It was tire, a few jumps into a tunnel, then a jump, the A frame, a tunnel, a jump, the weaves and a jump. Shelby did great until the weaves. I asked her to weave but she went around to the left. I called her but she didn't come. I saw her zero in on something outside the ring and she took off. Turns out there were some people with some Papillons and Shelby went after them growling and chasing. I had a hard time grabbing her. I was really shaken up. Fortunately no one was hurt, human or dog. But it was very scary. Later the judge and the trial organizer came up to me and said that they would have to excuse her from the rest of the trial and send a report to CPE, since it was an agressive incident. I totally understand. I wouldn't feel safe running Shelby anymore, and if it were someone else's dog, I wouldn't feel safe running knowing a dog like that was in the trial. I had been waiting for some sign as to whether or not to keep competing with Shelby, and I think this was it. I may try to find a behaviorist to see what we can do to curb this prey drive response.

Well after all that, I at least had Spot's runs to look forward to. The course looked pretty easy-it was a big circle mostly. Spot was excited to be out there. He wasn't that interesting in setting up. I had to physically position him. He ran well, but was so excited he ran past a bunch of jumps and I had to call him back, but he came back each time. He did have an issue where he went into the tunnel instead of the A frame, and I called him back and he did it again! So we had some off course faults and were over time.

His next run was the complete opposite of the first. He was excited again, but this time he did the course in 37 seconds with 0 faults! He was out ahead of me for most of it, but I kept giving him cues and he took the obstacles in front of him. The opening was 3 jumps to the tunnel, the dog walk, a jump, then a 180 to 4 jumps, then another 180 to the tunnel under the A frame, to a jump, then another 180 back over the A frame then 3 jumps to finish. In the opening, he was ahead of me by the second jump, but he kept going into the tunnel. I caught up at the dogwalk and then he got ahead during the next series of jumps, but that let me get my rear cross in nicely. He took the tunnel no problem, but I didn't quite meet him in time at the other end because I had to run around the A frame, so he did stop and look for me. I directed him to the next jump, then did a front cross. I wasn't sure he would take the A frame, but he did and then we did the end no problem. I was such a great run-I wish I had it on tape. None of my friends saw it either! Turns out he took 1st place which was great. Second place was about 5 seconds slower, then third and fourth were about 30 seconds behind.

Shelby strikes again

This time I saw the whole thing. I let Spot and Shelby out the front door and there was a robin hopping in the grass. The dogs saw it and started chasing it. Normally it would fly away, but I think something may have been wrong, because it didn't.

Shelby grabbed it in her mouth and ran away and I could still hear it chirping. So I ran after her and tried to get her to drop it, which she did, but I wasn't able to grab the bird before Shelby picked it up again.

After a minute the bird died, and at that point I let Shelby carry it around the yard. She would drag it in the grass and then roll in the grass, but not on the bird. She was very interested in the wings and would move them around a lot.

Eventually I called them in for treats and Shelby left the bird, so I was able to get it and dispose of it.

A sunny Saturday at Willards Woods

On Saturday the weather was super, so I decided to take the dogs to Willards Woods. We hadn't been in months. Spot and Shelby were super excited to be there.

When we pulled in there was only one other car there, which surprised me. The weather was so nice I thought it would be packed. While we were there we only came across a couple other dogs. We saw one puppy, and thankfully it was on leash and I saw it way ahead so I was able to call Shelby and put her on leash. Of course the people asked why Spot was off leash and Shelby was on, and I explained she doesn't like puppies, and she growled on cue!

Overall, Shelby was very good. She didn't run off, she was always with Spot, and checked in with me a lot and came when I called her. Spot had a great time sniffing and marking everything. Shelby got to swim in the creek. It was a nice time spent with the dogs. I really need to get out there more often when the weather is nice.

Back to class

Last night Spot and Shelby got back to agility class.

Spot worked on weave poles and rear crosses. He did pretty ok on the weave poles. Definitely better on the left than the right.

For the rear cross work, it was a series of 3 jumps, all at an angle. The second jump was a winged jump. I was the one who kept messing up. We got the first 2 jumps, but getting Spot to move ahead so I could cross behind was tough. I kept slowing down to let him get ahead, but he took that as a turn cue and came in. So I started throwing the toy ahead. We'll get it in time.

Shelby was super excited to be back in class. We worked on weave poles. We went back to the two by two method, using 2 sets of 2 poles, set apart. This was to work on collection for the entry. By spacing the poles apart, the dog needs to collect twice. I have to say Shelby did super. She hit the entry from 90 degrees on both sides and was fast! It will be interesting to see how this plays out in full sets of poles in the future. However the bad thing last night was the mosquitos. They were viscious. I had at least 10 bites, and that's with repellent. I need to get the deep woods stuff I think.

Oh Geez, this is too cute

Shelby and the Squirrel

Ok, now I didn't actually see what happened, but I can guess.

I let the dogs out into the yard this morning, and I usually take a peek to see what they are doing when I let them out. I walked over to the window and the first thing I see is Shelby with a squirrel in her mouth. I couldn't believe it! It was a big one-she could barely carry it. I didn't hear any kind of scuffle or chase, so she must have surprised it.

And then she carried it around the yard very carefully looking for a place to stash it. She wouldn't come in until I bribed her with treats. Even then, she wouldn't drop it outside, so I let her bring it into the house. Then she dropped it and I swooped in while she was occupied with the treat and grabbed it. I have to say it was heavier than I expected. There was a little bit of blood, but it wasn't torn apart, so Shelby probably grabbed it and shook it and broke its neck. I bagged it and put it in the trash.

Poor squirrel.

Shelby goes to Harvard

Today I took Shelby to the Canine Cognition Lab at Harvard University. They're doing some studies to see how dogs think, if they understand symbols, etc.

It was definitely interesting. First they just put a treat on the floor to see if the dog is interested, then they put it in a container. They had a container with a moveable flap so that the dog can't see the treat, but has to push the flap up to get the treat.

Then they moved on to two containers, and they put a divider in the center so the dog had to choose one side or another. They did things like pointing to one contaner to indicate the treat to see if the dog could get it. They also put a picture on the containers-one was one bone and the other was three bones. The container with the picture of more bones had more treats. They wanted to see if the dog understood quantity. They also had a picture of a hammer vs a picture of a steak. The treats were in the container that showed the picture of the steak. Then they also wanted to see if the dog understands emotions, so they picked up one container and smiled, then the other and frowned. This would indicate the treat was in the happy face container.

Shelby did really well. I was surprise she was able to understand that a picture of steak represented treats. Although then they showed a hot dog and a pair of pliers and she picked the pliers! There were a couple times she didn't choose correctly, and I noticed she yawned a little and was panting, which are stress behaviors. But then she started being successful and did fine.

I thought it was really interesting. Hopefully I can bring Spot and perhaps bring Shelby back again. One thing that did surprise me was that they did ask what commands Shelby knew either by voice command or hand signal but they didn't ask about training history or method. I would think a dog like Shelby would have a leg up on the pointing game, since she's very familiar with gestures like that from agility.

GBAEC earthdog trial-May 16 & 17 2009

This weekend was the first earthdog test of the year, hosted by my club, the Greater Boston Area Earthdog Club (GBAEC).

Spot was entered in Master both days and Shelby was entered in IQ on Sunday.

Saturday was a perfect day-sunny but not too hot. I almost missed check in for Masters. It said 9:30 check in and 9:45 drawing for braces, so I assumed I needed to check in before 9:45, but really it was 9:30. We drew braces and I ended up in the first brace with Carolyn and Steiff. Steiff got his ME last year, so he was running for fun. This was Spot's first try at ME in a trial.

We started out, and Steiff took off right away. Spot did his usual thing-he will run ahead and either stop and wait, or run back to check on me. He found all the scented areas on the walk-up, which was good. He checked out the false den when I called him over for the judge. When we got to the tunnel he ran around, saw the rats, but didn't really mark. Steiff marked first, then the judge had me call Spot over and ask him to mark, which he did nicely. Steiff went first and Spot had to honor. He actually did really well. He barked a couple times, but nothing major. When it was Spot's turn for the tunnel he went in, then came back out the entrance like he does, so he can turn around. He went back in and went right to the rats in plenty of time. He worked well, and then it was time to take him out. The judge removed the cover and Spot backed up away from the rats. I called him and he came up, but I couldn't grab him. After that it was just crazy. He started going all around the tunnel, back and forth and wouldn't come out. It took me 5 minutes to get him! The judge said it was a shame because he had done well up to that point. Oh well.

On Sunday Spot was entered in ME again and I entered Shelby in IQ that morning just for the hell of it. We drew for braces and we were in the second brace with Nancy and her Westie. The dogs worked well together and the walk up was good, but again Spot didn't mark the rats until I asked him to. Again, we went second and had to honor. This time he was barking a little more, but I was able to pet him and he quieted. When it was our turn, he got into the tunnel and went directly to the rats. I asked the judge how long it took him and she said 10 seconds. That's 10 seconds to travel through 30 feet of tunnel including the roller! He worked like a champ and then it came time for the removal. I told the judge I would take the cover off, but it got stuck, so she helped. Spot backed up again, but I was able to get him to come up to the rats and this time I got a good handful of scruff. It was a challenge to pull him out one-handed, but I got him just in time. I wasn't sure if we had Q'd, the judge said his mark was weak, but it was the beginning of the season and he did do a good Parson mark once asked, so she passed both dogs. Yay!

Then it was Shelby's turn. She was excited and ready to go. I released her and she went right to the tunnel, and went in, but then came out again. I tried to really encourage her. She wanted the rats, trying to go over the tunnel to get to them, crawling all around, under the branches covering the tunnels, but wouldn't go all the way through to get the rats. She seemed to get to the corner but then turn around. We'll do some more training and see if she can get the big picture by the end of the summer.

Act Up Agility trial-May 9, 2009

Yesterday we headed out to the Act Up Trial at Canine Mastery in Seekonk.

Shelby was entered in Fullhouse level 2, Standard level 2, Wildcard level 3, Snooker level 2 and Colors level 3. Spot was entered in Standard level 1.

I actually got there on time!!! I was there at 7:10, plenty of time to check in and get Spot measured. However, I was so distracted it turns out I left my front door open all day. When I got home at 10pm it was wide open. Thankfully I live on a quiet street and nothing was stolen!

My friends from class were there as well-Marjorie and Lily, and Nancy and Colby. Denielle was also there with Ivy and Jury. Also Julie was there with Carmie and Bug was making his debut as well.

The first class was Fullhouse, which was all levels together. Howard and Cinders were there, so we were close in the running order, but Howard moved Cinders down in the running order. The judge was a new judge from the midwest. Her courses were interesting. In Fullhouse you need 3 single jumps, 2 circles, like a tunnel or tire, and 1 contact. You also need a certain number of points. I needed 28 points. Jumps are 1 point, circles are 3 points and contacts and doubles are 5 points. This course only had the A frame for the contact option.

Here is the course map courtesy of Julie. It was slightly different than on the map becasue they switched the jumps from the left corner to the right because of mushy ground. It had rained a lot during the week, so it was a little muddy in places.


My plan was jump, tunnel under the A frame, back over the A frame, then into the tunnel under the A frame again, then tire, jump, jump, double jump and table. Shelby started out well, all the way through the tire, then got distracted and wandered. I got her back for a couple jumps, but then I was trying to get her over the double but we got the buzzer so I ran to the table. I wasn't sure I had gotten the 3 single jumps, so I didn't know if we got a Q, but it turns out we did, so that was good. With that Q we finished our level 2 Handler title!

The next class was Standard. Standard is a numbered course you follow in order. The course was jump, tire, double, then a 180 to a tunnel, then the teeter, jump to the poles in a pinwheel, then tunnel, the A frame, jump, dog walk, tunnel and jump. They had to add a jump at the beginning in order to use the electronic timer, so they took one out of the end sequence.

I tried a front cross at the first tunnel, but Shelby over shot it and went towards the A frame, but I called her back. In hindisght that was my fault because my front cross was towards the A frame-I should have been further ahead to do it in time. Shelby was doing ok until we hit the weaves and at pole 5, she smelled something and turned around and started digging, then rolling on the ground. I tried to get her back but we ran out of time. So that was that. Nothing I could really do in that case.

Next was Spot's turn at Standard. I didn't have a ton of expectations-I was fully expecting him to wander and mark things. Spot did great. He stayed at the start line, and went when I said ok.


He did the first jump, but missed the tire, so I had to bring him back around. The next jump was a double, which I don't know if he's ever done, so he went around it and I didn't bring him back, I just kept going to the tunnel, then a pinwheel with 3 jumps, to the tunnel then the A frame, a jump, the dog walk, a tunnel and then 1 last jump. Spot was great a following my cues and he stuck his contacts. He had a great time and I did too. I thought that me may have Q'd, since we only missed one jump, but that's a major fault, so no Q. I'm going to enter him more.

The next class was Wildcard. This was a really interesting course with a tricky opening and an opportunity to layer the A frame and a challenging weave entrance. I thought we could do it, but unfortunately again Shelby was sidelined by the smelly spot, which was at jump 2. Instead of trying to cheerlead her out of it, I decided to pick her up and leave. She didn't like that too much, but I want her to know that the ring is for agility, not sniffing and rolling.



The next class was Snooker. Our course was awesome because the 7 was a single jump!
Here is the course.

So my plan was to start on the right side with red, 7, then to the left red, then tunnel 6, middle red, and 7 again, then the closing. We were the 4th dog and I didn't time it well, so we just had to pee then run over and go right to the start line. Shelby was distracted and wouldn't set up. I was so distracted by getting her set up that I didn't even realize I was on the wrong side. We did red, 7, red, but then she disconnected and I had to get her back. She did the tunnel, then I had to work again to get her over the next red and 7, also while trying not to fall in the mud. So then we started the closing, which was tire, jump, A frame, then a 3 obstacle combo of jump, tunnel, jump, then tunnel and jump. Shelby stopped on top of the A frame, so we ran out of time, but it was ok because we got just enough points. So we got our second Snooker Q and we are done with level 2 Snooker.

The last class of the day was Colors. This looked like a fun, fast course, but it was already 6pm, and I had a family event that had started at 4, so I decided to scratch and head out.

I would have done the numbered course I think.


So overall an ok day with 2 Qs. But God, why are the days so long? I got up at 5am. They need to make the trials smaller, or have a trial only for level 1-2, etc. Cap it at 250 runs a day, not 400.

Next weekend I'm super excited for the GBAEC Earthdog trial. As it stands entries are light, but I know we have 7 Masters on Sat and 6 on Sunday. I will probably try Shelby on one of the days.

GBAEC digging day and a breakthrough for Shelby

Saturday was the official opening day for the GBAEC site in Gardner at the Fish and Game Club. It's a great site, and this year we dug 2 new tunnels. We now have a dedicated Master tunnel with 2 walk ups and a new IQ tunnel. We moved the IQ tunnel because it would interfere with the walk ups for the new Master tunnel. Because we were digging new tunnels and not just digging out existing tunnels, we rented a small backhoe. Thank goodness we did, since there were lots of roots and rocks that would have made for backbreaking work. As it was, it was a very long day. I pulled out of there at 4 and a few people were still there.

After the digging was done, I tried Shelby in IQ. Last week she went into the tunnel, but came right back out and wasn't too interested in the rat. This time she went in the tunnel, but came out again, so I got her to go back in and then I called her from the rat end and she came. She was staring, so I praised her and waited a second to see what she would do. We had the rats uncovered so she could see the rat. After about 30 seconds she stuck her nose in and then her paw, so I got really excited and praised her a lot. She started to whine and I got more excited! Then she actually started barking, which was great. I was screaming along with her. So then I took her out to see if she could do the whole thing. She went in and went to the end and started barking and scratching, etc. I was so happy. I haven't officially entered her for the trial, but I can enter her the day of.

Spot also got a try at Master. I was planning to just leave because it was late, but there was someone else who wanted to do it, so I stayed. Spot did well on the walk up. I think he stays a little too close sometimes, but he does go check things out on his own. He got to the entrance, and stayed for a second but didn't mark that strongly. He knew they were there, and actually saw a little space between that section and the next section and tried to go in! I went up and encouraged him to show me the entrance and he actually grabbed the bars and pulled the tunnel! He had to honor and let the other dog go first, and he did ok. He barked a bit, but I had treats and helped him stay quiet. I also got him interested in digging at a log, which I don't know if it is strictly legal, but it doesn't say anything specific in the rule book.

Once he got a chance to work, he went in and got stuck in the empty den. He then came out the entrance and went back in, only to come out the false exit, which he normally does. He went right back in and got to the rats in enough time. His working was perfect as always. When I went to get him it was a little hairy because they made the hatch open at the rat end on a hinge. I would prefer a loose cover without a hinge so you can open it any way you want. When I opened the tunnel, Spot scooted back, which surprised me. We got him to come back up and I petted him and encouraged him, finally grabbing him and removing him. It definitely was over time, but that's ok. Overall a good day.

New England Terrier Club Earthdog Fun Day

Today Spot, Shelby and I attended the NETC earthdog fun day.
Spot did master and Shelby did IQ.

Spot was pretty perfect. We were paired with a smooth fox terrier that was really playful and kept sniffing Spot's butt and bothering him, but Spot didn't react. He did a good job on the walk up, running ahead, but coming back to check out things I asked him to. When he got to the tunnel, he stuck his head in, saw the rat, but then left. He went back, but left again, so I went up and encouraged him, and he started barking, which is good. We'll work on that next week hopefully. Since he was first to the tunnel, he got to go first. He worked perfectly and I was able to open the cover and remove him easily. We had to honor after that, and he was so hot and tired he only barked a couple times, and I gave him treats for being a good boy.

Shelby tried IQ. I was hoping she would be interested in the rats after our training this winter. Shelby was definitely interested. She went into the tunnel right away and got to the rats, but didn't stay there. She just wasn't that interested. I tried to get her to go back in, but she was hot and not interested so I took her out. Oh, well. Not her day I guess.

After that they needed someone to judge the senior tunnel. So I got to do a briefing and then help people run their dogs. It was really fun. I could see being a judge.

Is a robot dog "real?"

What do children make of robot dogs?

Whether something is living or not is a crucial distinction, and it's one that children already understand by the age of five. What then do children make of the latest generation of robot pets - toys designed to be as "alive" as possible? It's a surprisingly little researched area, but with the shuttle rate of technological advance in toy-land, it's one that's bound to become increasingly relevant.

Gail Melson and colleagues filmed 72 kids, aged 7 to 15 years, playing for 45 minutes with a Sony Aibo robot dog and for 45 minutes playing with a real-life pooch of the Australian Shepherd breed. The Sony 210 Aibo dog was the most advanced robot dog at the time this research was conducted. It was capable of walking after a pink ball, kicking and headbutting it. It could also shake itself, sit down, lie down, offer its paw, learn, and display positive and negative emotion via lights.

As well as filming the children, the researchers also asked them questions about the biological (e.g. does X eat?), mental (e.g. can X feel happy?), and social (e.g. does X like you?) properties of the two dogs, as well as their moral standing (e.g. is it OK or not OK to hit X?).

The picture that emerged was mixed. On the one hand, the children clearly saw the real dog as more real and alive than the robot dog. They also examined the robot dog as if it were an object rather than a creature - prodding it and picking it up. On the other hand, there were signs that the children saw the robot dog as more than a mere toy. For example, over 80 per cent of the children spoke and gave commands to the robot dog as often as they did to the real dog. Nearly half the children petted the robot dog gently at least once, despite its metallic surface. Moreover, the children were no more likely to say it was okay to hit the robot dog than they were to say it was okay to hit the real dog! In all cases there was a trend for older children to see the robot dog as less real.

"These children were surprisingly willing to treat the robot dog as 'dog like'," the researchers concluded. "...[S]uch findings may be evidence of the emergence of a new ontological category, neither artifact nor living being."
_________________________________

Melson, G., Kahn Jr., P., Beck, A., Friedman, B., Roberts, T., Garrett, E., & Gill, B. (2009). Children's behavior toward and understanding of robotic and living dogs. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 30 (2), 92-102 DOI: 10.1016/j.appdev.2008.10.011

Spot's first class outside!

The weather was so nice on Friday we had class outside. I wasn't sure how Spot would do. I remember it kind of blew Shelby's mind and we didn't get too much accomplished. Spot did very well. He had a little sniffing and a couple of marking incidents, but he was very willing to work. We did a little work on obstacles. He wasn't as excited about the outdoor teeter, not sure why. We worked on a front cross sequence as well, but I wasn't really mentally into it for some reason, so I kept messing up. :-) It's still hard for me to get used to Spot's rythm, since it's faster than Shelby's.

Teaching a long lead out

On Friday, Shelby's class worked on lead outs. A lead out is when you leave your dog at the start line and walk out onto the course and release the dog from one or more obstacles away. The general rule is that if you do a lead out, it should be to a place where you intend to put a turn, otherwise you're not really providing any extra info to your dog, which is the whole purpose of positional cues.

So we had an opening of 3 jumps in a row, with a fourth jump set laterally from the third jump to create a 180. So the correct lead out position is to lead out to next to the fourth jump, which at first seems insurmountable. So we did backchaining.

First we worked on the lateral distance. I set Shelby up in front of the third jump, and moved the fourth jump closer-about 3 feet away. I released her, did a front cross, then threw the toy over the fourth jump. I progressively moved the fourth jump further away until it was about 8 feet away.


Once we had the lateral distance, we worked on getting the other 3 jumps in. So I moved Shelby back to the landing side of the second jump, then the take off side of the second jump, then the landing side of the first jump, and then finally all the way at the takeoff side of the first jump.

We broke this into 2 sessions, but in total it took about 15 minutes. I was amazed. I did have some broken start line stays once we were setting up at the first jump, but as I got further away and Shelby kept her stay, I jackpotted her, and that seemed to work.

Crazy JRT Video

This is pretty amazing. The dog isn't just sitting on the skateboard-he's really working it!

Super Duper Agility Fun Friday

I got back on track and took Spot and Shelby to agility class on Friday. I have to say the mood was much lighter than 2 weeks ago, which was good. I go to class to learn, but also to have fun, and it hasn't been fun lately.

Spot was first. We worked on the usual stations. He has a really nice teeter, with no help from me! He is a little daredevil and just loves it to death. If I look at, he's on it. I could be 20 feet away. We also did the dogwalk, and the A frame, and restarted the weave poles. I felt like he wasn't really getting it, so I started back at the beginning with 2 poles. He was kind of getting it, but not quite. I was using shaping, so no cuing. He barked at me a lot, and wandered off a couple times, but a few times did take the poles and got the reward. At the end, we did a sequence of 7 obstacles. We did a jump, then another jump at a right angle to a tunnel, then 2 jumps and the dogwalk to another tunnel. Spot was on fire! I consciously stayed behind him and it really worked. Also, I didn't stop and reward on course. He likes working so much that I don't necessarily need to reward him to motivate him every couple of obstacles. He was very focused and fast. Gives me hope that we can start trialing in a month or two.

Then it was time for Shelby's class. We had 25 obstacles and they weren't numbered!!!The instuctor likes to do that to keep us on our feet I think. It was a little harder because it looped around on itself, which makes it more confusing. It was a course with a lot of jumps with some challenging crosses. We did 6 weaves twice, as well as an obstacle discrimination with the tunnel under the A frame. Shelby did very well, much better than last time. She had one distraction going into a tunnel because there was a new dog in class who was behind the gate, but near the tunnel. Overall, a fun night, but very long! I was there for 3 hours!

Canine Cognition Project at Harvard-You Can Sign up!

I saw this video at Boston.com and found the site where you can sign your dog up to participate.


I think I'm going to submit my info.

Here in this house

This was posted on www.Championofmyheart.com, a blog I read often. The blog is written by a woman in Colorado who has a dog with fear issues and how she works with her to help her deal with her fear and feel safer in the world.

This poem touched my heart because Spot, who was my first dog of my own, was a shelter dog. I adopted Spot from the Animal Rescue League in Brewster, MA 7 years ago, when he was just about the same age Shelby is now, which kind of blows my mind when I think about the way he was when I got him as compared to Shelby now. He was very bossy, barking at me all the time to try and get what he wanted. He still does that occasionally, but I don't think I'm exaggerating when I say clicker training changed my life and his. I could see the lightbulb go off when he realized we could communicate with each other and not at each other. He's not as operant as Shelby, who started clicker training at 8 weeks, but he loves to work and use his brain. I definitely see the differences in my dogs when compared to some friends' dogs who were not clicker trained.

HERE IN THIS HOUSE

Here in this house... I will never know the loneliness I hear in the barks of the other dogs 'out there.' I can sleep soundly, assured that when I wake my world will not have changed. I will never know hunger, or the fear of not knowing whether I'll eat. I will not shiver in the cold, or grow weary from the heat. I will feel the sun's heat, and the rain's coolness, and be allowed to smell all that can reach my nose. My fur will shine, and never be dirty or matted.

Here in this house... There will be an effort to communicate with me on my level. I will be talked to and, even if I don't understand, I can enjoy the warmth of the words. I will be given a name so that I may know who I am among many. My name will be used in joy, and I will love the sound of it!


Here in this house... I will never be a substitute for anything I am not. I will never be used to improve peoples' images of themselves. I will be loved because I am who I am, not someone's idea of who I should be. I will never suffer for someone's anger, impatience, or stupidity. I will be taught all the things I need to know to be loved by all. If I do not learn my lessons well, they will look to my teacher for blame.

Here in this house... I can trust arms that hold, hands that touch... knowing that, no matter what they do, they do it for the good of me. If I am ill, I will be doctored. If scared, I will be calmed. If sad, I will be cheered. No matter what I look like, I will be considered beautiful and known to be of value. I will never be cast out because I am too old, too ill, too unruly, or not cute enough. My life is a responsibility, and not an afterthought. I will learn that humans can almost, sometimes, be as kind and as fair as dogs.


Here in this house... I will belong. I will be home.

Friday night classes

I went back to class Friday after skipping the past 2 weeks. My enthusiasm has been waning lately, but we have a couple of trials coming up, and I will be entering Spot, so maybe that will perk me up.

Spot's class went well. There were 3 of us there. We started late, as usual. I don't really mind, but that pushes the next class late, and the instructor gave us a hard time about taking too much time and going over class time.

Spot is doing well on all the obstacles, but I think he has weave blindness. He just doesn't seem to see them as an obstacle. If I position him and cue them, he takes them, but not on his own the way he does the teeter or jumps. I'm going to practice clicking going through the 2 poles and see what happens. We did a little sequence at the end, and we had to do a front cross after a tunnel, and all the other handlers we told to be sure and run up ahead to get it in, but then I get the opposite advice to stay beind! It's funny, with Shelby, she likes me to be ahead and chase me, but with Spot, he likes to charge ahead, so I'll have to be cueing much earlier I think. He definitely is one of those dogs who will cue off a shoulder turn or some little teeny motion. Should be fun!

Shelby was very exited to be at Gemini, but we we got out on course she was strange and distracted. She sniffed some things and didn't take cues. At one point she took a jump, then instead of coming around, she crawled under the bar to sniff something! Everyone had a good chuckle. Later someone told me there was a seminar or somethere there last weekend, so there were probably a lot of new smells around.

All in all, it was an ok night. It felt good to be back in class.

ABC's Nightline "Best of Breed?"

Last night Nightline broadcast their report on purebred dogs called "Best of Breed?". The main thing that comes through is the AKC's unwillingness to even discuss the issue, which is more damning than the interviews with breeders and experts, I think.

They included a couple of clips from the BBC's documetary and also a brief interview with Patrick Burns of the Terrierman blog, which I read often. He is very outspoken on the issue of inbreeding and the changes breeds have seen over the years due to kennel club breeding.

Super cute cell phone video

My favorite use is fireplace for kittens.

Full Video of Pedigree Dogs Exposed

This is a program that aired on the BBC in the UK only, I think, but it's caused quite a stir and lead to some sponsors backing out of the annual Crufts dog show. I have seen on several dog lists I am on that 20/20 is intending to do an investigation of the AKC on a similar level. The AKC has declined to participate (of course) and is asking any breeders or fanciers contacted by ABC to decline an interview. I understand that dogs have been bred for different purposes in order to be useful to man in some way, but I do think that there are breeds where traits have been overexaggerated to the detriment of the individual animals, and the gene pool should be opened up and/or breed standards need to be re-examined.
Documentary - BBC - Pedigree Dogs Exposed

This is on Spot and Shelby's Christmas List

Just kidding-it doesn't really exist. It's a fake box sold by The Onion.

Cool photo from today's snowstorm

Basie, a 3-year-old dalmatian, waited for his owner, Tom Allen, of Somerville, during a snowy romp in the park at Nunziato Field in Somerville on Sunday, the first day of March.
"He loves the snow," said Allen of his dog.

(Globe staff/Dina Rudick)

Bo-Gee Agility Trial at the Sportzone in Derry, NH 2/28

Today I was entered in a CPE trial organized by Bo Gee. It was at a place called The Sportzone, which is a facility for basketball, soccer and more. It was a very interesting place for a trial! The 2 rings were set up inside the indoor soccer field, which had a wall topped by glass, like a hockey rink.
Here's a pic.

So there was an entrance that opened onto a walkway which lead to the first ring and down to another ring. And no food was allowed in that area which was a little challenging. But it was nice because there were bleachers and a mezzanine so you could watch the runs. I forgot my camera which was a bummer because I could have gotten some good footage! Some dogs were distracted by all the noises like balls bouncing and kids yelling, but Shelby seemed ok with it. I do think all the dog noises in the crating area made Shelby nervous, and she did stop on top of the dogwalk to peek over the wall into the other ring. We were entered in Snooker and Standard, which were the last 2 classes of the day. We showed up around 10:30, but still we didn't have a run until about noon or so. We were done around 4pm.

Snooker was an interesting course with the 4 reds in the 4 corners of the course. I had a good plan with things Shelby likes, including the A frame. Shelby was a little distracted and not quite with me the whole time, so we were slow and I didn't think we would get enough points in time. After the whistle blew, the timer said they made a mistake and forgot to add the 5 seconds onto the standard course time for the 12 inch dogs, so they asked if I would like to run again and I said yes. We ran at the end of the 12 inch dogs. It was a little hairy because the 8 inch dogs were waiting and Shelby was distracted and growled at a little Chinese Crested dog. When we set up I thought she might break the stay and go over to the other dog, but she didn't. We started the course well, taking the jump, A frame, jump and the tunnel. On the way to the next jump Shelby turned around and just put her feet into the tunnel opening and that was enough to get us whistled off. Bummer.

The next run was standard. The course was a nice one and I felt confident in my handling skills to be able to do the right things and be successful. It was the tire to the dogwalk, to a tunnel then the weave poles, then a jump, a tunnel, a jump, the A frame, the tunnel, the teeter, a jump, the tunnel and two more jumps. I was a little concerned about the dogwalk because it was slatless and we practice on slats, and sometimes a slatless dogwalk seems like a teeter to the dog and they bail.

We went in to the start line and I asked Shelby to get set and she sets up backwards! That was a new one. I think she was nervous about all the dogs right behind her. Here's photographic evidence!















I got her set up correctly, but she was still looking back, so I wasn't thinking the run would go that well. I had intended to lead out to the dogwalk, but after the set up I decided to run with her. We started and sure enough when she got to the dogwalk she slowed down and thought it was the teeter. I was able to coach her though it and into the tunnel. Then I did a front cross after the tunnel and before the weaves. Shelby didn't hit the weaves the first time, but did them the second time. Then I really tried to put on the speed over the next sequence of jump, tunnel, jump, A frame, tunnel. Shelby seemed to go quicker to keep up with me. I did a front cross after the tunnel and before the teeter to take the off course tunnel entrance out of the picture. That meant I had to rear cross the tunnel entrance which was fine. Although looking at this photo I was ahead of Shelby when she landed from the jump prior to the tunnel, which is wrong. I should let her drive ahead at that point for a better rear cross.















Then I did a front cross after the tunnel exit, to the jump and then the last jump. I thought I was home free, but just as we got to the last jump, the next dog came in to set up and Shelby stopped dead, chest to the jump and was looking over towards the entrance. Thankfully I was able to get her attention and she took the last jump. So we ended up getting a Q, with 1 fault for being 1.78 seconds over course time!
Here I am extremely thankful she is over the last jump.